New Horizons Veterinary Behavior Solutions

We are also providing some additional great handouts & resources on Separation Anxiety below:

The panic that a dog suffering from Separation Anxiety is REAL!" Use these resources to learn how to help relieve your dog's anxiety

APDT Webinar on Separation Anxiety Click here to download a thorough review and discussion of treatment strategies for Separation Anxiety by Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist, Dr. Melissa Bain. (Give the webinar a few moments to down load).

I'll Be Home Soon by Behaviorist Patricia McConnell, Ph.D, CAAB is a highly recommended resource! This inexpensive booklet can be purchased at this link, or on Amazon.com. It gives great behavior modification solutions to prevent, as well as to treat Separation Anxiety. It will help you recogonize and treat the signs of less severe behavior problems too.

Another interesting Ancillary Therapy that can be added to the treatment program is the use of calming body wraps. Below we are providing information on two such wraps.

The Thundershirt for Separation Anxiety uses the covering theory and also adds gentle pressure over the dog?s body with a snug Velcro closure and stretchy fabric. It is hypothesized that this body pressure "hugs" the dog, giving relief to anxiety. It is not fully understood how all these body coverings work, but many dogs have shown improvement with anxiety related disorders such as separation anxiety and noise phobia. Usually the response to these coverings takes some time to develop and is not instantaneous. At least 3 wearings, and following the manufactures instructions carefully are important for success. Especially when combined with the other anxiety treatment modalities, body coverings can often help decrease the stress.

The Thundershirt is now available for sale at Deer Run!

The Anxiety Wrap is another example and is made of a stretchable fabric the animal wears. It uses a technique called Maintained Pressure. Maintained Pressure is a technique also used with Autistic children, and in neuro-rehabilitation to modify the body's sensory receptors and change the nervous system back to a more normal state. There is currently a scientific study being done on the benefits of the Anxiety Wrap at Tufts University Veterinary Behavior Department.